More than 1,000 people attended Mass on Tuesday at St. Augustine Cathedral, Tucson, for Father Raul Valencia, who died Friday in a vehicle collision on Interstate 19. He was on his way to visit family in Nogales, Sonora, when he died.
Father Raul Valencia
Valencia, 60, was pastor of St. Monica Roman Parish in Tucson since 2011.
Before becoming a pastor, Valencia was a dentist in private practice in Nogales, Sonora from 1986 to 1997. He received his doctorate in the University of Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, in 1985.
He was ordained in 2003 at St. Augustine Cathedral.
A tear streams down Deacon Ignacio Arvizu's cheek during a Mass for Father Raul Valencia at St. Augustine Cathedral, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Pallbearers carry the casket containing Father Raul Valencia following a Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, on Feb. 11, 2020.
People crowd St. Augustine Cathedral during a Mass for Father Raul Valencia, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Deacon Ignacio Arvizu pays his respects to Father Raul Valencia during a Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, on Feb. 11, 2020.
People place their hands on the casket carrying Father Raul Valencia before a Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Father Raul Valencia of Saint Monica's Parish blesses those in attendance with holy water before Joey Sanchez, right, leads a procession with a statue with San Juan during the 19th Annual El Dia de San Juan Fiesta on June 24, 2016, near the Mercado San Agustin west of downtown Tucson, Ariz.
Raul Valencia Garcia, left, with Jose Manuel Padilla Elguezabal, Adolfo Martinez Escobar and Bardo Fabian Antunez Olea rehearse for their ordination at St. Augustine Cathedral with the help of Fr. Miguel Mariano Jr., far right, in 2003.
